Clutter is anything you don’t use, disorganized and unfinished things that crowd your house and take up your storage space. It can make you feel tired and lethargic, keep you in the past, congest your body and cause disharmony. It can be confusing, depressing, make you procrastinate and distract you from more important things.

According to Feng Shui, clutter obstructs the flow of life-bringing energy through your home.

The following clutter-conquering techniques are taken from the book “Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui” by Karen Kingston:

1. have a junk drawer - even one on every floor of your house – to handle your belongings, but keep it small, use it sparingly, and clean out regularly
2. give a regular clear-out to all of your kitchen cabinets and pantry; don’t forget your fridge and freezer
3. to keep your bathroom clutter-free, install additional storage units and keep them organized and clean
4. keep your bedrooms tidy and clutter-free; never keep a laundry basket in the bedroom (stale energy hangs around dirty laundry)
5. resist the temptation to stash stuff under your bed; any obstacle in your energy field affects the quality of your sleep; the same rule applies to the tops of wardrobes and dressers – if the clutter there is the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning, you will tend to get up slowly and reluctantly
6. don’t hang on to clothes that are too small, out of style, or were once-worn and will never be worn again; get rid of them – they have accumulated your bad vibrations



photo from Yuri Arcurs Website

7. work out a system to tame your paperwork: sort and toss (recycle) as much as you can, use a bulletin board for current things, have just one agenda (no loose-leaf notes) and keep your financial paperwork up to date
8. lead by example: your own clutter-clearing activities  might inspire other members of your family to do the same
9. clean out your clutter fast (all at once) or slow (in stages); do at least one major review of your household clutter every year
10. to stay clutter-free, stop clutter before it starts: think twice before you buy and adhere to the rule: “Something new in, Something old out”
11. hire a professional organizer to help you

…
…
…

Interested in more? The text above is a chapter from “10 Steps to a Healthier, Happier Home” special report by Bozena Studio. You can download it by clicking on the link below:
10 Steps to a Healthier, Happier Home. How to Find a Perfect Balance of Comfort, Luxury and Wellness for the Space You Live In.

We keep too much stuff because it makes us feel more secure, or because we believe the more we have, the better. In today’s world, where we have instant access to practically every item’s high and low price alternative, we buy to our heart’s content. This causes our homes to be filled with stuff, some of which is rarely or even never used. Our rooms and garages are filled up to the ceiling, and it’s still not enough. Want proof? Just look at the numerous storage rental businesses around you.

Are you one of the many who are paying mortgage for a very expensive storage space for their stuff? Is your home full of rarely (if ever) used items? Maybe you already have tried to get rid of some of this mess, but without success?

Here are some ideas on how to start:

Define “clutter zones” in your home and attack them one-by-one.
You can approach the clutter clearing in two ways: either schedule the whole day (weekends work best) for a given space (the fast way), or assign a certain amount of time daily, for example 30 minutes, to work on this task (slower results, but often the only way if you’re busy on weekends).
Use the “empty and add” method: remove everything from the cleaned room (cabinet or drawer in case you’re using the “slower method”), and clean it thoroughly. Then bring in only the essential items like the bed in the bedroom, the sofa and chairs in the living room, etc. Concentrate on the activities you perform in that space and items supporting those. Try to live with it for a day or two, and then bring in a few (and I mean a few) personal objects that will help to make the room your own. That’s it!
Sort the remaining stuff into 3 piles: the ‘Throw Away’ (you know what to do with it), the ‘Get Rid Of’ (sell, give away, donate), and the ‘Consider’ pile (you can’t or won’t decide what to do with it right now – return to it in a month or so).
If you are a collector, try to rotate your collection so there are always some fresh and interesting objects on display, and the rest (pared down to the minimum, of course) is stored safely so it won’t gather dust and block the energy flow inside of your home.
And the most important advice (this made a huge difference for me personally): do not buy any more new items if you don’t get rid of something beforehand. And before you buy anything, always ask yourself: Do I absolutely love it? Do I really need it? Is the quality good enough to withstand years of use, so I don’t have to throw it away soon, in order to buy a new one?

Getting rid of unnecessary stuff in your live will help you become more energetic, gain a new perspective and make a fresh start. It also will improve your overall health by minimizing the use of household cleaners for everyday cleaning of your innumerable possessions, as well as the health of the planet through frugal use of resources, and shrinking the mountain of trash produced by you every year.

Happy De-cluttering!